Alice Ann (Alloway) Holck

Alice Ann (Alloway) Holck, 84, of Spencer, died peacefully at home in the presence of her family on April 22, 2025. The family is planning a celebration of Ann’s life at the Ruthven Methodist Church on Saturday, May 3, at 10 a.m., with a visitation for the family on Friday, May 2, from 4-7 p.m. Arrangements by Martin-Mattice Funeral Home.

Ann was born Aug. 22, 1940, in Cherokee, to Naomi (Raper) and Marion Alloway. Ann was very active in the arts growing up, including band, choir and drama, and achieved all-state status with her clarinet prior to graduation from Washington High School (Cherokee).

Ann attended Iowa State and became involved in musical productions and had the lead role in "Stars Over Veishea" production of Pajama Game her sophomore year. Not only did ISU instill her interest in food and nutrition dietetics, it also led to her meeting Gary, her husband of 64 years.

Ann and Gary were married on June 19, 1960, in Cherokee. That summer they moved out to Burlington, Vermont, where Ann earned her bachelor's in dietetics and Gary his master's in animal science at the University of Vermont. In addition to taking a full class load, Ann also worked part time and prepared for the arrival of their son, Jonathon Tyler, born during finals week in December 1961.

Upon graduation from the University of Vermont they moved to Columbia, Missouri, where Ann earned her master’s degree in food technology and Gary his doctorate in swine nutrition. Ann and Gary then moved to Decatur, Indiana, where their family expanded to include two beautiful daughters, Kristin Linsley in April 1966 and Alyson Kimberly in February 1969.

In 1972, Ann and Gary relocated their young family to Spencer and became very engaged in the community. While raising her family, Ann worked as a registered dietician and served numerous nursing care facilities in northwest Iowa. She continued this work until she retired in 1995 to allow more time to spend with her mother in her later years.

Ann and Gary were very active in their church, serving in both youth and adult ministries. Ann was an accomplished pianist and served as an accompanist in many church settings as well as community events. They enjoyed many Sunday afternoons canoeing, hiking, sledding, or cross-country skiing with friends and families from their church.

Ann was passionate about the arts and was a charter member of the Spencer Area Arts Council in 1979 and was instrumental in founding Arts On Grand in Spencer ten years later. Described as a visionary, her love of the arts included paintings, art pieces and music and the desire to expand access to the arts for all. She worked tirelessly, writing grants to further support the local arts, including an “America Creates for the Millennium” grant awarded in 2000 which provided funding for “The Gathering” which involved over 1,100 northwest Iowa community members and can still be seen at East Leach Park.

Ann served in many leadership capacities, including with the Clay County Fair and 4-H programs as sheep superintendent, judge for more food categories than thought humanly possible, and numerous councils including the NW Iowa Extension Advisory Council and Iowa State University Extension Citizen’s Advisory Council. In 1987, Ann received the 4-H Adult Meritorious Service Award for her “tireless hours of encouraging, guiding, creating and teaching.” Ann’s deep concern for women in crisis led her to serve on the board for Center Against Abuse and Sexual Assault (CAASA) for many years.

Ann loved to travel and organized many family trips while the kids were growing up, including a European trip the summer of 1982 with the entire family traveling by planes, trains, boats, and automobiles to visit over 10 countries! Once empty-nesters, Ann and Gary continued their travel to include Australia, China, Russia, Central America, the Caribbean and more trips to Europe.

Ann loved to cook and used her dietetics training to emphasize nutritious meals for her family and others, with room for some indulgences like ice cream and her famous chocolate fudge that she made for friends and family at Christmastime each year (a couple of her granddaughters have picked up the tradition, the recipe is available upon request!).

Ann especially loved her family and emphasized the importance of education with her children, encouraging them in the classroom and supporting them in the arts and sports. She and Gary enjoyed visiting children/grandchildren as they spread across the country, including frequent trips to Arizona and Colorado.

Ann is survived by her husband, Gary, of 64 years of marriage; three children, Tyler (Gayle Brown) Holck of Gilbert, Kristin (RJ) Cardin of Cave Creek, Arizona, and Alyson (Greg) Rajnowski of Grand Junction, Colorado; six grandchildren, Blair (Jack) Sanders of Ames, Johanna (Ryan) Jolivette of Ames, Jaymie (Devon Acree Meza) Cardin of Myrtle Creek, Oregon, Levi Rajnowski of Flagstaff, Arizona, Brook Rajnowski of Loveland, Colorado, and Garrison Holck of Miami Beach, Florida; three great-grandchildren, Luka Sanders, and Tytus and Amia Jolivette.

She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Ronald, sister Marilyn and brother-in-law Howard Steinberg. 

The family is planning a celebration of Ann’s life at the Ruthven Methodist Church on Saturday, May 3, at 10 a.m., with a visitation for the family on Friday, May 2, from 4-7 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Ann’s memory to the restoration of “The Gathering” through Arts on Grand in Spencer or to the “Ann Holck family scholarship” at the University of Northern Iowa which provides scholarships for students seeking a career of service in a dementia related field.

The family would like to acknowledge the loving and caring support of the Home Instead staff the past two years and, more recently, the Avera home hospice team in Spencer.

Additional information can be found at martinmatticefuneralhome.com.